


Everybody's Worried

by 19_dish_soaps



Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: Gen, Hattercrow if you squint, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Jonathan Needs a Hug, Legion of Horribles being the best, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, legion of horribles - Freeform, mentions of child abuse, they all need hugs tbh
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-05
Updated: 2020-01-18
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:54:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,762
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22135150
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/19_dish_soaps/pseuds/19_dish_soaps
Summary: The Legion of Horribles all have problems and bad memories. They each express this and help each other in different ways.(Basically I needed some legion being family content so I did it myself)
Relationships: Jervis Tetch & Victor Fries, Jonathan Crane & Bridgit Pike, Jonathan Crane & Jervis Tetch
Comments: 8
Kudos: 27





	1. Everybody's Worried About Jonathan

**Author's Note:**

> I headcanon Jonathan as having dissasociative episodes, so decided to show it here

"Yeah, that sucks, but have you considered; BEES?"

Jonathan had no idea how the conversation had gotten to this point. He'd stopped paying attention around ten minutes ago when the topic had been "What should we do for Victor's birthday?" and he wasn't sure if he wanted to know why everyone was now arguing about the worst ways to die due to insects.

"Crane, opinions?"

Everyone turned to him, which meant Jonathan needed to put his improv skills to good use (do not ask him why he has improv skills, he just does, okay?).

"Probably praying mantis. Bunch of praying mantis, all trying to rip your head off, and you're tied down so you can't do anything but watch as they tear you apart to get to the brain," he said without looking away from where he was patching up his mask.

He did look up when the silence became overwhelming, though.

Bridgit, Butch and Jerome were staring at him with varying levels of concern. Jervis kept opening and closing his mouth, like he was going to say something but thought better of it. Oswald was looking at the wall with an expression of pure horror.

This scene of existential dread was what Victor walked in on. He'd witnessed this kind of thing enough to know what happened. "Alright, who made everyone question their existence?"

Jonathan slowly raised his hand. Victor sighed. "I'm signing you up for therapy." With that, he walked back out.

\---

He was not, in fact, signed up for therapy. Everyone in the Legion knew mental health services in Gotham were more traumatic than anything they went through on their own. Most of the time they make things worse. This was definitely the case for Jonathan.

His not-so healthy relationship with his father, paired with his days in Arkham left a significant dent in the boy's psyche. He was able to ignore it for the most part, but sometimes, when someone grabbed his arm too suddenly or everyone was being louder than normal, he couldn't handle it.

He wasn't like Jerome or Oswald, whose nightmare-fuelled screams could be heard late into the night. He didn't go quiet like Victor, or become more aggressive like Bridgit. He didn't even leave the house for long periods like Butch, and he certainly didn't talk about what was hurting him like Jervis.

No, Jonathan didn't do anything like that. Jonathan shut down. 

Whenever Jerome banged his fists on the table in excitement and got into a shouting match with Oswald about damaging the furniture, those who paid attention could see a subtle shift in Jonathan. He stopped talking, stopped moving, stopped (italics) breathing, in some instances, until he could get back to reality.

Most didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. They either chalked it up to him being a quiet person or put it out of their minds entirely.

The Legion weren't most, though.

The first time he shutdown around them, they were in the middle of a meeting to discuss everyone's roles. Jerome had just shouted something an octave higher than his usual voice, and Jonathan's brain decided that was a good enough reason to call it quits.

Next thing Jonathan knew, Jervis had his hand on his, looking more worried than Jonathan had ever seen him. When he looked around to try to make out what happened, he saw everyone staring at him much the same way. 

"Are you okay?" Bridgit was first to speak up.

"Uh, yeah. Why?" Jonathan answered, slightly confused by how everyone was acting. 

"It looked like you were disassociating," Fries told him from across the table. 

"Oh." Jonathan wasn't sure how to respond. "I don't really...uh... Everyone was just being really loud." His voice dropped to almost a whisper at the end. 

Everyone was quiet for a moment. 

Bridgit sat up straighter in her chair two seats away from him. "You know you can tell us when we're making you uncomfortable?"

Everyone nodded. Jervis squeezed his hand but stayed silent.

"Um, okay?" 

Jerome raised his eyebrows at the half-hearted acceptance. "Jesus, you're almost more messed up than me!" Jonathan suspected it was because of his natural aversion to emotions. Still, he went along with it.

"Yeah, sure. Talk to me when you're dad drugs you, forces you to face your worst fear and then dies in front of you."

And just like that, it was back to normal. Jerome was laughing, Jervis was smiling again. Fries still looked worried, but that was his natural state of being, so Jonathan didn't think much of it. 

\---

After that incident, the others had made sure to watch themselves around him. The same way no one ate candy floss around Jerome, or played the piano when Oswald was near, everyone made sure to lower their volume when they were with Jonathan. He appreciated it, of course, but it could be disheartening when people have to stop themselves from their normal shouts for fear of him going catatonic.

Even with the Legion's precautions, they couldn't stop it happening completely. It was almost always Jerome, and it was almost always because of his unnaturally loud voice being too hard to contain. Jonathan didn't blame him, but he could tell from the look on Jerome's face that he did.

Jonathan was surprised to find the person that caused it the least was Bridgit. Fries could be loud, Butch could be overbearing. Oswald got angry easily. Even Jervis was too clingy sometimes. But Bridgit never triggered it. 

"I know what it's like," she'd told him once, when he asked why. "Being stuck in an awful relationship with people who are supposed to take care of you.Feeling helpless. 

I don't know exactly what you've been through, or what it feels like when you shutdown," she looked around the room Jonathan stayed in, taking in the walls covered in writing the notebooks that were filled with scribbled words strewn across the floor. "But I know you should never have to feel like that again. And if that means I have to shut my mouth every now and then, I can deal with it."

They didn't say anything for a long time. "Thank you," he said finally.

"No problem." She stood up and stretched. "We're friends, alright? I'm not gonna hurt you," she held out her hand to him, "ever. Got it?"

He hesitated for a second before taking her hand. "Yeah," he said after she pulled him up. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it." Bridgit went to leave, but stopped before she walked out. "You coming down for game night? I hear Fries is a god at Twister."

Jonathan took a moment to consider. He could make the excuse that he needed to clean and skip out on another night of human interaction, but he felt like he could handle it tonight. "I'll be down in a couple minutes."


	2. Everybody's Worried About Jervis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jonathan says something less-than kind to Jervis, who is comforted by Fries

"So you can make someone do anything you want?"

Jervis and Jonathan were sitting on the couch in the kitchen, with Fries supervising so they didn't destroy something (the manor still hadn't recovered from Bridget and Jerome's attempt to light every scented candle there so it could become a "shrine to anxiety.". 

Jonathan had mentioned how he was interested in psychology, and Jervis wasn't one to give up an opportunity to impress him. He was now looking at him with the most delighted face Jervis had seen on him, so he decided the plan was a success. It changed to one of confusion, however, when he answered "Essentially, yes. Unless what I want is what they detest."

He watched as Jonathan chewed on his lip for a second, before asking "Then how come your sister killed herself?"

Jervis' eyes widened as his smile dropped. He heard Fries suck in a breath but stay silent. Jonathan looked like he regretted being born (an unfortunately common expression). 

"Jer, I'm sorry. I didn't mean-"

"It's okay." He swallowed. "I have to go."

He stood up and nodded to Fries as he rushed out of the room, who's signature eyebrow crease was even more pronounced than usual. He stopped before walking out, placing his hand on the door. "We'll talk later, Scarecrow."

"Jervis, wait!"

"Don't, he needs time."

\---

It wasn't unknown that Jervis was a cryer. Many, both within and without of the Legion, had felt the wrath of Jerome and Jonathan for being the reason he came home sobbing.

This had the unfortunate side affect of making Jervis want to hide his tears when someone he cares about hurt him. It's not that he hid his emotions, he just didn't want his best friend to turn up in a ditch. 

This is a long-winded way of saying Jervis was huddled under approximately fifteen pillows, waiting for his eyes to dry/death to take him. 

Fries walked in instead. 

"Hi, Jer."

The pile of pillows shifted to allow Jervis' face to show. "Mr. Fries. Can I help you?"

Fries sat down on the end of his bed. "Not a rhyming day?"

"Don't feel like it." Jervis plunged back into his cocoon of sadness. Fries knew not to start conversation with him like this. 

"You know, when I was younger, I made notecards," Jervis said after the silence became too much. "I thought I could make one for every possible scenario."

"Could you?"

"Am I reading from a stack of them now?"

Fries laughed. "Fair enough." He waited before asking "You know he didn't mean it, right?"

Jervis sighed. "Yes."

"And you're planning on coming out of your room later?"

"Ugh..."

"Okay, do you want to vent? You seem like you're in a vent-y mood."

"Mr. Fries, I'm always in a vent-y mood."

"Please?"

"Fine." He pulled himself out of the blankets. "I just... I know he's not trying to, but he says the worst things sometimes."

"I know." 

"And he can't apologise. The only thing he hates more than that is being wrong."

"Yeah. Remember when he so was convinced Jerome stole his food that he hacked Oswald's security feed to find out?"

Jervis snorted. "Yes. He wouldn't shut up about it."

"But he did say sorry...eventually."

Jervis leaned back softly. "Yeah, sure."

"C'mon," Fries opened his arms. "We cool?"

"I will murder you if you say one more pun." Nevertheless, he moved into the hug. Fries' suit wasn't very comfortable, but it's the thought that counts. "Yeah, we're cool."

"Great! You coming down soon?"

"Nah, I'll stay here for a while." He looked around the room. "Can you send Jonathan up?"

"Yep. Brofist for forgiveness?"

"Hell yeah."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I put in "Christmas With the Crazies" that Jervis always speaks in rhymes, but that was then and this is now.

**Author's Note:**

> I not sure how frequently this will update. I have a few planned out, but it all depends on how fast I can write them. I'm aiming for once a week though. 
> 
> Comments and kudos are appreciated, and Hank you for reading this rubbish pile of a first chapter


End file.
